By the time Mateo came back, we were all invested in the series Emma had picked out. Even Gideon struggled to tear his eyes off the screen as Mateo walked in.

Throughout the next three episodes we watched, Emma explained what had happened, so we could catch up to the present.

"What are you all watching?" Mateo said as he sat heavily down in the chair beside the sofa. He took in Emma's position on my lap and her feet on Gideon's and smiled softly.

"Oh no! Pause that shit! I've only gotten to episode two, and I don't want any spoilers," he said when he looked at the TV and saw Henry Cavill. He even covered his fucking eyes with his hand to avoid seeing anything.

Our girl took pity on him and not only paused the series but clicked out of it. If it had been Gideon or me, we would've at least fucked with him a little.

"How did it go?" Emma asked. I wanted to drag her right back to my lap the second she rose from her position and sat down between us instead.

Mateo groaned, "That man is a piece of work. If it hadn't been for his cancerous ass, I would've knocked him down a few pegs, preferably with my fists."

Her eyes widened. "He has cancer?" Her voice sounded small like she was thinking about something sad. Fuck, Mateo had mentioned that her grandma had died of cancer and that they'd been really close.

"Yeah, but don't feel bad for him. He's not a great guy," Mateo said and meaning every word of it.

She shook her head. "It's not him I feel bad for. I just...are you okay?"

He gave her a smile. "You don't have to worry about me." Slapping his hands on his thighs, he said, "Now, you've all been cooped up here all day. What do you guys say about going out and do something fun?"

Today was Sunday, and because Emma didn't have any work, we all had taken time off as well. We all wanted to spend as much time with her as we could.

"Unless...I could drive you home if you want?" Mateo looked at her, hoping she'd say no to his offer to drive her home. Technically, her time with us this week was over, so if she didn't want to stay, we wouldn't be offended. A woman like her needed some time to herself.

"I'm up for something fun. What do you have in mind?" I became thrilled to hear that she wanted to spend more time with us.

"There is this great bowling hall that's open twenty-four-seven. What do you guys think? Should we go grab something to eat before or after I wipe the floor with you?" Mateo was definitely the livelier out of all of us. While I wasn't a fan of bowling, I would never complain about seeing Emma doing something that would make her smile.

"After, I'm still full from breakfast," I answered, and the others agreed.

We all rose from our seats and got ready. Emma put on a pair of jeans and kept Mateo's t-shirt on, though she had a bra underneath now. I knew from how Mateo practically puffed his chest that he was happy that she kept his shirt on. I'd dressed in a pair of jeans and a form-fitting black t-shirt. It wasn't often that I went in anything other than suits, but I wanted something more laid-back today.

Taking one of my SUVs that fitted us all comfortably, I wrote in the designation and rode out of the garage. Gideon was sitting in the passenger seat while the other two sat behind us.

I hadn't actually bowled in a while, not since my college days, but I looked forward to letting our girl see that we had more in mind for her than just dominating her.

Gideon looked out of place in the bowling hall, having gone for his usual formal clothing. It was almost comical–scratch that, it was definitely comical to watch him put on those clown shoes with those clothes while wearing a grimace of pure disgust. I even heard Emma chuckled as she looked at him before she tried hiding it with a cough. Gideon scowled at her laugh.

While Mateo wrote our names on the screen and the others picked out their balls, I went ahead and bought us some sodas. I mean, you couldn't really bowl without something to drink; that would've just been wrong.

"I'll go first, then Callan, Emma, and Gideon," Mateo informed us gleefully. Damn, that man was so excited for this game.

As expected, Mateo was pretty good. On the first try, he got a fucking strike. He put an extra swagger in his steps as he sat down beside Emma. With a wink, he said, "Let me know if you need any help when it's your turn. I promise I won't let my hands stray...much."

Laughing, she shook her head. "It's been a while since I bowled, but I want to try for myself first."

Raising from my seat, I picked up my red bowling ball. I had literally no idea what I was doing, but this was all for fun.

"Should we make it a game out of this?" Mateo suggested before I made a move towards our lane. "How about, the winner gets a price of his, or hers, choosing. One from each of us?" I narrowed my eyes, knowing we didn't stand a chance against him. But never one to back down, I agreed.

"I'm in," Emma echoed, and Gideon begrudgingly agreed as well.

Striding towards the lane, I tried to roll the ball but instead ended up throwing it, making it bounce twice before it rolled down, knocking four of the pins down. It went better than expected. Getting another try, I hit two other pins.

Emma had picked out a light purple ball–I think it was lavender, but that was only a technicality. On her first try, the ball ended up on the side of the lane, rolling down the valley. I could see Mateo wanted to get up and help her but respected her wishes and instead stayed and watch while she readied her second try.

Her ball managed to knock down every pin on the second roll, making her squeal in excitement. Fuck, it was good to see her like this. I hadn't known how much I'd craved to see this side of her–the slightly silly but happy side.

Gideon was up next, and he did about as poorly as I'd done. After a couple of rounds, it was clear that this game was between Emma and Mateo. Gideon and I had already fallen way behind.

"I thought you said you hadn't bowled in a while?" I asked because she clearly knew how to. Hell, from what I could see, she had perfect form.

She shrugged. "Yeah, it's been a couple of years. I used to go every weekend with my parents, family bonding and all that. I guess bowling is just like riding a bike; once you've learned, your body won't forget how."

"Damn, you could've told us that before we made it into a game," Mateo pouted, and I chuckled at his theatrics. Mateo could bring forth this kind of childish joy, even when he was thirty-four years old. I sometimes wondered how that felt to have that kind of joy. No matter how hard my grandparents worked to give me the best childhood I could have, I never had that.

"You were the one who started it!" Emma laughed. "I would've been fine just winning for the glory," she teased him.

"You haven't won yet, missy," Mateo warned her, trying to look serious, but a smile tugged on the corner of his lips.

It was fun watching them battle it out on the lane. Gideon and I had known we didn't stand a chance of winning, but we still competed for third place. Throughout the game, I didn't miss the looks Gideon threw Emma's way. There was something thoughtful in his eyes but also a spark of warmth.

After Mateo took his turn in the last round, he was nine points ahead of Emma, making this very entertaining for us who weren't in the game any longer.

"You'll have to get a strike to win," Mateo informed rather smugly. Yeah, he was as much of a bad winner as a bad loser.

"Oh, I'll nail it, don't you worry about that. Worry about what I'll cash in when I win instead," Emma quipped as she strode confidently to gather her ball. This side of her was just as much of a turn-on for me as her more quiet side. I could feel my cock press against the zipper of my jeans uncomfortably just by watching her.

Making sure she had a good grip on the ball, she went to the lane and took a deep breath before she swung the ball back and forth and let it go. This was meant to be a silly little game, but now we all held out breaths as our eyes were glued to the purple ball. It looked to go straight down the middle of the lane, but I couldn't be sure.

The ball crashed with the pins, making all but one fall. We all stared as the one standing wobbled before it joined the others.

"Yes!" Emma did some kind of celebratory jump, and I chuckled. Unable to keep myself still, I went to her. Before I got to say a word, she jumped into my arms and gave me a smiling kiss on my lips.

God, this woman...she was very special indeed. The feeling in my chest that arose whenever she was nearby was warming me inside out, and with a startle, I knew what it was. In a matter of a couple of weeks, she had elected this feeling in me that I hadn't felt for anyone else.

I was falling for her.